Wouldn’t “the temperature people think of when they hear cold” depend on the season, location, and recent weather?
If the NYC high was 60 degrees in July, I think more than a few would say it’s “freezing out” and have the opposite reaction for 55 degrees in late Jan.
I’m surprised that you consider the poll a decent assessment. Given your data rigor, someone might get the wrong impression of cherry-picking research to line up with your opinion.
Just for the record, that twitter poll was posted in mid-January by someone in Wisconsin and voted on by 58 of her followers.
I don't consider the poll to be a decent assessment. Was arguing for sport because bac was being childish about it. Cold is obviously in the "eye" of the beholder and can depend on a plethora of factors including humidity, wind, sunshine, recent weather, what one is used to, personal comfort, etc.
My dad lives in Florida and thinks it's cold when the temp falls below 80F and will be wearing a sweater and a windbreaker when it's 72F outside, while we're in shorts and t-shirts. My son is even more immune to the cold than I am and goes swimming in the ocean when it's 60F, while I won't go in below 65F and my sister, who also lives in FL won't go in below 75F.
My whole point is that I try to always provide the relevant conditions of temperature and wind/windchill and sometimes humidity, precip, and sunshine, so people can make their own decisions on how to prepare. Whether someone thinks "cold" is below 50F, 40F, 30F or 20F shouldn't matter too much if one knows the expected conditions.
Below is a link to a good thread on a weather forum on what people think "cold" is and, of course it's all over the place. However, my favorite answer is this guy from Minnesota, excerpted below...
https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=12399.0
THE MINNESOTA TEMPERATURE CONVERSION CHART
>60 Above
>New Jerseyites try to turn on the heat
>People in Minn. plant gardens
>50 Above
>Californians shiver uncontrollably
>People in Minn. sunbathe
>40 Above
>Italian and English cars won't start
>People in Minn. drive with the windows down
>32 Above
>Distilled water freezes
>Lake Mille Lacs water gets thicker
>20 Above
>Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves and woolly hats
>People in Minn. throw on a flannel shirt
>15 Above
>Philadelphia landlords finally turn up the heat
>People in Minn. have the last cookout before it gets too cold
>Zero
>People in Miami all die
>Minnesotans lick the flagpole
>20 Below
>Iowans fly away to Mexico
>People in MN get out their winter coats
>40 Below
>Hollywood disintegrates
>The Girl Scouts in MN are selling cookies door to door
>60 Below
>Polar bears begin to evacuate the Arctic
>MN Boy Scouts postpone "winter Survival" classes until it gets cold enough
>80 Below
>Mt. St. Helen's freezes
>People in MN rent some videos
>100 Below
>Santa Claus abandons the North Pole
>Minnesotans get frustrated because they can't thaw the keg
>297 Below
>Microbial life no longer survives on dairy products
>Cows in MN complain about farmers with cold hands
>460 Below
>All atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin Scale)
>People in MN start saying "cold nuff for ya?"
>500 Below
>Hell freezes over
>The Minnesota Vikings win the Super Bowl .
